U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is leading Republican rival Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in an NBC News poll released on Sunday, as voters show increasing favorability toward her since she became the Democratic presidential nominee. According to the survey, 48% of 1,000 registered voters now view Harris positively, compared to 32% in July, marking the largest improvement in politician ratings since President George W. Bush’s favorability surged after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
In contrast, 40% of respondents expressed positive views of Trump, up slightly from 38% in July. The NBC poll, conducted from September 13 to 17, carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
A separate CBS News poll also shows Harris leading Trump, though by a narrower margin of 4 percentage points (52% to 48%) among likely voters. The CBS poll, conducted from September 18 to 20, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
These results align with other recent national polls, including one by Reuters/Ipsos, which indicate a close contest as the November 5 election approaches. However, while national polls offer insight into voter sentiment, the state-by-state Electoral College ultimately decides the presidency, with key battleground states likely playing a decisive role.
Trump, 78, is making his third bid for the White House after losing to Joe Biden in 2020. He continues to falsely claim widespread voter fraud and faces multiple federal and state criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Harris, 59, is a former U.S. senator and prosecutor who currently serves as vice president under Biden. If elected, she would become the first female president in the nation’s history.
According to Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, Harris has successfully shifted the narrative of the race. “She’s been able to change this from a race that was a referendum on Joe Biden to a race that is a referendum on Donald Trump,” Walter told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The CBS poll also found Harris gaining 2 percentage points from a previous 50-50 tie in August, buoyed by her strong performance in the September 10 debate and improving economic conditions.